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Get to know the name William Morkin folks. He is the beginning of the Chicago Fire's run to the 2016 MLS Cup.
Little Billy from La Grange pulled off perhaps the best offseason move of all time by presenting a Chicago Fire soccer ball to Pope Francis, who proceeded to lay his holy hands all over it. How did such a divine encounter happen?
It happened because it turns out William is one of the best in the world when it comes to asking questions. Millions of children from around the globe submitted questions to Pope Francis for a children's book that would include only 30 of those submissions and the Pope's answers. William was one of them.
What did the 7-year-old ask the Pope? If you could do one miracle, what would it be?
What a spectacular question. When I was a kid, I would always do the whole you have three wishes from a genie thing. Not William. He raised the stakes. You don't get three miracles Pope, only one, and now you have to choose. On that question, I say eat your heart out Anderson Cooper.
The Pope responded much like a Pope would by saying he would heal every child. Seems like a good choice.
But a real miracle did come out of all this and that was William going to the Vatican City with a handful of the children who would be in the book. Each kid brought the Pope a gift, including maple syrup and UGG boots, but Willy brought a Chicago Fire soccer ball.
He could've brought some sort of quintessential American item like a double bacon cheeseburger or a six-pack of Miller High Life, but no, he brought a Chicago Fire soccer ball. The odds of that happening have to be something like a trillion to one.
I have to believe a higher power helped make this holy soccer connection happen. For all we know, the Pope was agonizing over which MLS team to support and then William walked into his life with his adorable little smile and that red and blue ball.
If I'm the Chicago Fire front office, I get this kid VIP access to the field immediately for March 6. Let the kid shake every single players' hand and then take a lap on the field. He is the Roger Bomman to the Chicago Fire's California Angels. His presence alone is an inspiration.
After all that though, the team should still give him a bunch of free stuff because this kid is awesome.